The best pet insurance for both cat and dog people

We analysed 60+ pet insurance policies and spent 80+ hours researching the best plans (we reeeeally love our pets!). These are the top dogs.

Pet Insurance

Get help finding the best pet insurance

All the pet insurance policies below will cover your pet for accidents and illnesses. They all have an annual limit (how much you can claim back each year) and a benefit percentage (how much of the vet bill it will cover you for, e.g. 90%).

To select our top picks, we used our Finder Awards data and researched 69 pet insurance policies (that's nearly all pet insurance policies available in Australia), looking at features including annual limit, benefit percentage, discounts and excess. Remember, there's no single best pet insurance policy that suits each one of our furry friends, since we all have different budgets and priorities.

Why you can trust our research

60+ pet insurance policies analysed

140+ prices gathered

80+ hours of research

Gary Ross Hunter
Expert picks selected by Gary Ross Hunter – insurance expert

Top pick for features: Medibank Max with Extra Care Pet Insurance

Medibank

Pros

  • $30,000 annual limit – one of the highest on the market.
  • Covers 90% of eligible vet bills. The average is 80%.
  • GapOnly cover lets you claim on the spot and 24/7 VetChat subscription lets you chat to a vet.
  • Up to $2,000 towards dental conditions – most insurers don't offer this.

Cons

  • 90% back is higher than average but some can cover 100%.
  • There's a 10% discount but it's only available to Medibank and ahm health members.
  • Its other plans are not as comprehensive.

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Top pick for value: Bow Wow Meow Nose-to-Tail Cover

Bow Wow Meow pet insuance

Best Pet Insurance - Value

Pros

  • Winner of the 2024 Finder Award for Best Value pet insurance. This is because it was competitively priced while offering generous coverage limits.
  • It has 3 different reimbursement rates which can be used to help tailor the cost of your premium to what’s affordable. Options include 70%, 80% and 90%.
  • Bow Wow Meow has a generous mult-pet discount of 10%. Most other insurers offer 5% for this.

Cons

  • Some other policies have the option to cover 100% of vet bills.
  • Some insurers cover alternative therapy as standard.

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Top pick for cheap: Budget Direct pet insurance

Budget Direct

Pros

  • Budget Direct’s Essential cover was the cheapest insurer of the 23 providers we analysed as part of the 2024 Finder awards.
  • There are 3 levels of cover available so you can pick which suits you best; essential, comprehensive or plus.
  • New customers get 15% off their first year’s premium when they buy a policy online. T&Cs apply.

Cons

  • The Essentials cover plan is so cheap because it covers less than other insurers. For example, it offers up tp $12,000 worth of cover in yearly benefits while other insurers can offer up to $30,000.
  • There is no discount available for insuring multiple pets. Other insurers like PIA offer a multi-pet discount.
  • It has limited excess options meaning less control over your premium cost.

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Top pick for perks: Everyday Comprehensive Plus Pet Insurance

Everyday

Pros

  • 10% off your Woolies shop every single month.
  • Free access to VetAssist with every policy, valued at $199 per year.
  • GapOnly cover lets you claim on the spot, as opposed to pay for the full vet bill and wait to be reimbursed.
  • $30,000 annual limit – one of the largest on the market.

Cons

  • 80% back on vet bills. Coles, Medibank and Knose can cover 90% or 100%.
  • The discount is no good if you don't shop at Woolies.
  • No multi-pet discount.

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Top pick for no sub-limits: Knose Pet Insurance

Knose pet insuance

Finder Pet Insurance Award Winner

Pros

  • No sub-limits on specific conditions.
  • Covers 90% of eligible vet bills and you can claim up to $25,000 per year.
  • Most cover 80% of vet bills and have a $15,000 cap.

Cons

  • A small number of policies cover 100% of vet bills.
  • It doesn't do GapOnly payments. You need to pay the full vet bill and wait to be reimbursed.
  • It's no good for pets aged over 9. They aren't eligible.

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Top pick for routine care: PIA Major Medical Cover

Pet insurance australia

Pros

  • The only policy out of 60+ to automatically cover routine care e.g desexing, microchipping, council registration fees and vaccinations.
  • Claim up to $30,145 per year, the highest annual limit out of all Australian pet insurers.
  • First 2 months free. Based on average pet insurance costs, this could knock $160 off your bill.

Cons

  • You get 80% back on vet bills. Insurers including Coles offer up to 100% back.
  • It has some sub-limits, a $3,000 cap on tick paralysis and $1,200 for emergency boarding.
  • The $145 routine care benefit might not be enough for everyone.

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Top pick for comprehensiveness: Petinsurance.com.au Platinum Cover

Petinsurance.com.au pet insuance

Best Pet Insurance - Features

Pros

  • Comprehensive policy winner in the 2024 Finder Awards.
  • It covers 80% of eligible vet bills and comes with GapOnly cover.
  • Claim up to $30,000 a year for accidents and illnesses.

Cons

  • There are cheaper and more basic policies elsewhere.
  • It has sub-limits for certain treatments including cruciate ligament conditions ($3,000).
  • Some policies can cover you for 90%.

How much are Australians spending on pet insurance?

Every month, we ask a bunch of Aussies what they're paying for their pet insurance. Here's what their bill looked like in November 2024.

$90

Price based on 120+ responses about their monthly premium in November 2024.

Tips to find the best pet insurance policy

Keep these 3 tips top of mind and it'll be much easier for you to find a good pet insurance policy:
One

Don't settle for a low annual limit

Pet insurance policies typically let you claim up to $15,000 a year. This may seem like a lot but surgery can exceed $20,000 in some cases. Always check the annual benefit limit before you buy. Everyday ($30,000), Petsy ($25,000) and RSPCA ($20,000) all offer more than average.

Two

Look for a reimbursement rate of 80% or higher

The reimbursement rate, or benefit percentage, is the amount of the vet bill the pet insurer will cover you for. Most comprehensive pet insurance policies will pay 80% of all eligible vet bills. Some, such as Coles (100%) and Petsy (90%) offer more. A high benefit percentage is best for those who don't want to risk facing big out-of-pocket expenses.

Three

Don't hold off on pet insurance until your pet is older

If they develop any health conditions before you've taken out pet insurance, they will be considered pre-existing conditions by the insurer and you won't usually be covered for any treatment related to that condition. Some insurers won't cover your pet at all once they are 9 or older.

Once you have narrowed down your options, get some quotes from each insurer. This will help you see who offers the best-priced pet insurance policy for you.

Icon to represent comparison of car insurers
Pet or pay?
Aussies would fork out more than $6k to save their furry friend, according to a new survey by Finder. With pet insurance, you don't need to worry about spending this eye watering amount.

Top 5 pet insurance brands for customer satisfaction in 2024

To help you figure out what pet insurance company is the best in 2024, we asked over 400 Australians for their opinion and got our insurance experts to rate some of Australia's well-known brands.

BrandOverall satisfactionTrustworthy/reliable
RSPCA★★★★★ 4.3997%
Bow wow meow pet insurance★★★★★ 4.3494%
Bupa Logo★★★★★ 4.2797%
Petbarn★★★★★ 4.2494%
Everyday insurance★★★★★ 4.2391%

Why you can trust Finder's pet insurance experts

freeEvery good boy (and gal) deserves great cover. Thats why we've spent over 20 hours researching pet insurance, and dished out pats to 50+ dogs to create this guide.
expert adviceNo extra cost. Pay the same amount going direct. Features are verified from 20+ policies all in one place, so you don't have to check the same limits over and over again (boring!).
independentNo BS. You won't get any annoying calls, because we don't have a call centre. We're not owned by an insurer and pride ourselves on listening to real human (and pet) experiences for all our research.

FAQs about finding the best pet insurance

Jason Loewenthal's headshot
To make sure you get accurate and helpful information, this guide has been edited by Jason Loewenthal as part of our fact-checking process.
Gary Ross Hunter's headshot
Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise
Gary Ross has written 644 Finder guides across topics including:
  • Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
  • Managing the cost of living

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